#leaflitter

[mossmarsh]

just finished barkbeetle's lesbian sister and had her wife done with for a couple days now -- i'll post her soon as well!

i think i'll stick with this style for now -- the scribbly pen marks ig. also VERY proud of the colors in this one

[ransomhughes]

[quiverpaw]

proof i Have Been drawing guys it's just. it' just all ocs

[husknoises]

Profile art for my Night Elf Druid, Leaflitter!

[logs-pods]

A YouTube vid reccomended nappa cabbage for pod food and I've had some interesting results. It's main advantage is that it doesn't mold like some other vegetables.

The clowns love it and start munching away as soon as they find it. But they usually loose interest once it's shriveled up and mostly gone.

The zebra pods on the other hand slowly eat it but don't really care that much. They prefer carrots much more.

The Dairy cows will ignore it for days and days until it's very wilted and dead, then devour it and leave only the veins that are still crunchy.

[seabeck]

Rising from leaflitter

[cloudedmoonofficial]

 Frondsway couldn't believe he was actually talking to her. Her heart still pounded as it did when they were young... and yet the  shards of its broken pieces made her chest ache. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked him over, his eye missing, his face scarred... all her fault.

  "Frond... please don't cry..." Tornleg's soft voice threatened to send her over the edge again, and she burst into tears and sobbed again, like she did most nights after the accident. Seasons and seasons of sadness, with long stints of dissociation placed in between so she could focus on her duties as a Ranger... no longer an Herbalist... no longer trusted by the Colony.

 "I'm so sorry..." Frondsway sobbed, "I'll never forgive myself."  Tornleg let her cry for a moment before he finally took the leap, he hadn't touched her in seasons, they had been apart, ignoring each other's existence for so long... He reached forward with one paw and nudged her chin up. They gazed into each others faces, "You need to." He whispered, "Everyone else has. I have... that's... that's why I asked you to meet me here. It's not your fault."

 "Everything is ruined!" She pulled away from his touch and threw her gaze to the leaflitter at their feet.

 Tornleg sighed, "But it's not." He smiled warmly, reminiscent of his journey after that day. His leg was mangled, but the rest of him had become stronger. His eye was gone, but his other eye had become sharper. He was often in pain, but it made him enjoy his good health days even more. He had been offered something that most cats would never understand: perspective and peace.

Frondsway shivered and then looked up... how could Tornleg be smiling? She said nothing, but her muscles relaxed, she couldn't help but calm down as she studied his face, the face she still loved.

Tornleg's brows softened with relief as Frondsway seemed ready to listen, "I'm proud of my accomplishments. My limited physical ability can't stop me from being a good Ranger, or a good Mentor."

"I'm better for it!" He stood tall suddenly, but she just stared at him. He shrugged wrapping his broken tail around his paws, "Well... not perfect," he sighed, "I'm not... happy that I was injured... but I love who I am because of it. I wouldn't change it... except," he moved place a paw on hers, but hesitated and dropped it to the ground again, "Except to see you smile again... So please... forgive yourself."

Frondsway's eyes glistened and he thought she might dip back into despair, but then her mouth curled into a tiny smile and he felt her paw on his. His heart leaped for joy as she gave him the tiniest nod, "...Okay... I'll try..." she whispered.

Tornleg stood on all three of his able paws and leaned in, licking her forehead once in gratitude. "I go for walks every day to keep my strength up and enjoy the forest..." he told her, "Would... would you like to walk with me?"

Frondsway knew that things would never be the same, but perhaps their future could hold something better than what they had. Maybe it wouldn't go back to normal, but what is 'normal' anyway? Perhaps their new normal was a deeper friendship... a new appreciation for what they did have and not what they'd lost.

"I would love to..." she blinked softly.

-Art by Snap

[fieldguidetothenarrativeforest]

It’s been raining on and off for a month straight where I live, so I am blessed with plenty of reference shrooms wherever there’s leaflitter and tanbark

(And I’m never really far away from a Raven Cycle/Dreamers reread)

[the-fyre-flie]

The Death of The Damned

A Bruce Wayne VS His Own Mortality OneShot. A little long and sad, but please read below.

(TW for Heavy Topics and Death)

-

Bruce, broken and beaten. Alone and afraid for the first time in a long time. Bleeding, groaning, staggering through mazes of trees and ferns. His comms are busted. His ribs are busted. His head is pounding in agony, but he keeps going. Because if he stops, who will urge him to take one more step? Who will pick him up if he falls? Who will tell him to keep going even when his body gives up?

No one.

Each stumble past bushes and roots felt like his goal was getting further and further away. He had no idea where he was or where he was even going. He had been fighting a monster... a beast he couldn't even remember the name of now. His head was spinning, and his vision was blurring as he slid down a riverbank into the shallows, grunting in pain as his ribs hit a rock. It was his fault he got separated, he told himself. His fault. Always his fault. He should have planned better. How could he be so stupid? No one was here to save him from himself.

Red seeped into the crystal clear water, swirling and staining as it flowed downstream. Bruce trudged through the slow-moving current, not even sure why he was so determined on heading this way. All he was accomplishing was soaking himself and increasing his chance of death. The sky above was just barely visible beyond the trees, fading blue broken up by swaying branches. The rattle of wood was almost like a laugh. A cruel mockery of his situation.

If a bat dies in a forest, does anyone hear it scream?

How many times had Bruce carried the world on his back? How many times had he watched his loved ones die? Did he truly want to inflict that pain onto anyone else? The radio piece in his ears crackled as it attempted to desperately send out automated emergency signals. Gritting his teeth, Bruce tore off the cowl and stared down at it lying uselessly in the mud and leaflitter. Without the mask, he was as big a nobody as anyone else. A pathetic billionaire that cosplayed as a hero, a loser who tormented even his own child with unreasonable demands. A missiom far bigger than any one person could bear. His nails dug into the gravel and dirt of the riverbank, his body now bloody, wet, and cold. As his mind struggled to focus on anything other than his impending doom, he ran through old memories.

Dick, happily eating birthday cake the year after Bruce took him in. He smelled like frosting that whole night, a sweet smell that clung to his clothes and hair and skin. Bruce had never taken a photo that day. He swore he would, but it slipped his mind.

Jason, showing off a spelling bee test he got a B on. It wasn't perfect, his handwriting was sloppy, but it was hung on the fridge. It was probably tucked away in a box somewhere right now. He wished he hadn't hidden all of Jason's things away.

Tim, asleep at his desk. Bruce remembered having to carefully bring him to bed, tucking him in and cleaning up the cans of energy drinks that littered the space. He regretted not being as kind as he could have been for the boy. Now, he would never get the chance to apologize for making him grow up too fast.

Damian. His Damian. Years of lost time and all his horrible efforts to make it up to him. None of those memories were as sweet as he hoped they would be. Outings, gifts, toys, experiences, all tainted by a past he could never change, a trauma the boy would always carry. He had failed all of his children, but he failed Damian most of all.

It wasn't fair.

Bruce hadn't realized he was walking again. A slow shamble through the trees towards a setting sun. Oranges and purple washed through the greenery, casting Bruce's bloodied form in somber shades. The pain of a broken body was temporarily forgotten as he found himself standing on a cliff overlooking the woods. A sea of green and painted sky greeted him as he struggled to keep standing.

If you die, who will they turn to?

The thought echoed in his already failing mind. Around him, birds chirped, leaves rustled, and grass was pulled back and forth by a cool breeze. Night was falling, stars peaking out from behind streaky amber clouds. In the far distant, rain clouds were forming over the treetops, a dark sign of night showers. It was a ways away, and as Bruce slumped down into the soft grass beneath him, he awaited it's arival.

The world weeps for the innocent, the brave, and the damned.

[soylent-crocodile]

Animal Conversion- Black Mamba

(photograph by Ronald Scott)

The way Challenge Ratings work in Pathfinder means that creature's general damage input and output roughly align. This is game design for an even battlefield, where you charge in against monsters and start whackin', but it fares poorly in representing one aspect of the real world; venomous animals, creatures which can be killed with anything from a jab from a pointy stick to an errant slap of the human hand, but which possess chemical weapons that can debilitate or even kill a human being. One of the most notorious of these is the black mamba, an african elapid related to cobras, coral snakes, and other notorious killers.

(Incidentally, if you search Black Mamba on google here in the hellscape that is 2024, you get a bunch of AI images of what people think black mambas should be- jet black cobras with angry eyes and powerful jaws. Isn't is more interesting, though, that the real deal looks so gray and unassuming- until they open their jet black mouths?)

This is a very old statblock, designed years ago as I wanted to approach the feel of these animals- a quiet hiding creature that could kill you if you step in the wrong direction. They are designed to be used more like traps than Monsters, and uhm. May need some playtesting. But I think it's an interesting bit of game design and would love your thoughts! I also included a fictional violet mamba for if you really hate your players.

This gray-black snake is particularly unassuming as it hides among the leaflitter

Misc- CR8 TN Tiny Animal HD8 Init:+8 Senses: Perception:+9, Blindsense 30ft Stats- Str:8(-1) Dex:18(+4) Con:13(+1) Int:2(-4) Wis:14(+2) Cha:3(-4) BAB:+6/+1 Space:5ft Reach:0ft Defense- HP:48 (8d8+8) AC:20 (+2 Size, +4 Dex, +4 Natural Armor) Fort:+8 Ref:+10 Will:+4 CMD:17 Offense- Bite +11(1d4-1 plus Black Mamba Venom, touch) CMB:+3 Speed:20ft Special Attacks: Deft Fangs Feats- Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Bite), Ability Focus (Poison), Improved Initiative Skills- Stealth +19, Perception +9 Ecology- Environment- Forest (Hot) Languages- None Organization- Solitary Treasure- None Special Abilities- Black Mamba Venom- Bite- Injury, Fort DC21, Frequency 1/round for 10 rounds Effect 1d3 Con damage, Victim is Paralyzed Cure 2 successful saves in a row Deft Fangs- Black Mambas bite as a touch attack.

Black mambas are infamous for their venom, and with good reason; they’re among the deadliest of all in nature. Not only is their venom powerful and fast acting, but it quickly paralyzes its victim, leaving them vulnerable to further assault.

Violet Mambas

Violet mambas are named not for a bright color but for the subtle magical iridescence that coats their scales; a small difference, but one that is critical to notice.

Violet mambas are variants of the black mamba. They are Magical Beasts. Do not recalculate their HD or skills. Those stricken with violet mamba venom gain SR20 against healing spells and spells that remove or cure poison or ability damage for as long as they are poisoned.

Black Mamba Companions

Starting Statistics: Size: Small Speed: 20ft Attack: Bite (1d4 plus black mamba poison) Ability Scores: Str 12(+1) Dex 14(+2) Con 12(+2) Int 2(-4) Wis 15(+2) Cha 10(+0) Special Qualities: Low-Light Vision, Scent, Blindsense 30ft, Black Mamba venom (Bite- Injury, 1/round for 5 rounds, 1d2 Con damage, save DC is HD based)

7th Level Advancement: Ability: Dex +2, Con +2 Special Qualities: Black Mamba venom (Bite- Injury, 1/round for 10 rounds, 1d2 Con damage, victim is staggered, save DC is HD based)

[crevicedwelling]

I was scrolling through your isopod tag and I noticed one of your posts recommending that larger isopods not be used for cleanup crews since they can nibble on the flesh of pets. I have some dairy cows (Porcellio laevis) and orange creamsicles (Porcellionides pruinosus) in my snake's enclosure, and the orange creamsicles stay decently small (ive only ever seen them abt 1cm long) but the dairy cows can get twice as big (2+ cm). they have leaflitter, snake shed, and bits of poop, but now I'm worried that might not be enough for them. Should I put anything else in the enclosure ?

Thanks for your help and awesome isopod posts :-)

personally I would take things OUT of the enclosure, those being the isopods.

but if you do want them to stay, I doubt they’ll bother the snake much, but the isopods will probably benefit from you adding lots of leaf litter (not the pretty, hard, waxy leaves, instead tasty things like maple) and some carrot or squash now and then. remove excess isopods whenever you feel like they’re getting too numerous

[jaketeachesdeath]

The Hawfinch. The UKs largest finch, complete with a large head and giant beak.

These guys are especially adapted for eating seeds from mature trees like Hornbeam and Beech, even Oak and Ash are favoured. But these beaks are so impressive they can crush Plum and Cherry stones too.

The young of these birds are also fed with regurgitated seeds along with larvae which is pretty impressive.

At this point is sounds like I have beak envy but these guys can absolutely crush the equivalent of 1000 times their body weight, incredible.

This time of year we might see an increase in numbers from migrants. Theyre now more visable in the leafless trees, however their love for the tree tops may still render them difficult to spot. You may be very lucky and find small groups or pairs ground feeding in just the right spot!

Thier wonderful orangey plumage may very well disguise them in the leaflitter though so keep an eye out for that blueish beak

06/12/24

[gendervapor14]

hospitals, pamphlets, and maps surrounded them like leaflitter. magnolia blossoms perched just out of reach. in the dirt, the boy etched a depiction of his family. a lead poisoned palm erased the parents. the girl was gone too, but he didn’t have the heart to pull the trigger. hate surpasses pain, a message wormed into his skull by a fiend hooked on vengeance. love surpasses hate, a message eased into his heart by a saint set on healing.

artwork by @attyattlaw ♥ ~ prompt: family

previous prompt can be found here

thanks for hosting this event @corazon-week !

[lildoodlecat]

ooo Jay you are activating the zestiria sleeper agent in my brain, I wanna hear about ALL the zesty ones 👀 but if you need a more specific answer, "Sorey is trying his best!!" immediately captured my heart, as well as the true name one ("look at these BABIES" 😂)

hehehe I'm always waiting for the opportunity to reawaken zesty feelings >:3

"Sorey is trying his best!!" is actually a request that's been sitting in my inbox for wayyy too long from @suzaku (hiii I didn't forget!!!) from some point when I asked for fic prompts:

i still adore this idea and the work is definitely in progress!! technically!!!!! anyway here's a snippet

Instead of simply waiting and feeling what he could feel, he figured he should just, well, pretend he was the wind. He pulled that image into his head, of light summer breezes and blustering gales, of flying through the air and whipping past leaves, of ruffling those perfectly fluffy bangs that sometimes obscured parts of Mikleo’s gentle-sharp lilac eyes. For a moment, it almost felt as if he’d brushed them aside with his own fingers. Rough-soft leather against his outstretched palm startled him—again—out of the swirl of his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a grinning, if very windswept Mikleo holding his hand. “I said feel the wind, Sorey.” Mikleo’s lips thinned and pursed, a habit he had when he was trying not to laugh, “Not start a windstorm.” Sorey couldn’t hold back his ecstatic expression. “What if I like starting windstorms, huh? What will you do then?”

As for "True name learning oh boy here we fucking gooooo look at these BABIES", I do think it's fairly self-explanatory sjxkd but I wanted to do a take on how Sorey might've learned Mikleo's true name ✨✨ I believe my plan was for it to happen when they were kids, but I hadn't actually gotten to the true name reveal last time I touched this wip... Anyway, snippet time

“Not telling.” Mikleo stuck his tongue out. “Mean.” “Am not.” “Are too.” “Am no—” Sorey tackled Mikleo off the log, slamming them into the ground and driving the breath from the seraph’s lungs as he was pinned down by his shoulders. “Sorey! Ow!” Mikleo hissed, kicking up and pushing in an attempt to dislodge his friend. He managed it, flipping them around so Sorey was the one getting leaves and dirt in his hair. “You jerk!” “You’re the jerk.” Sorey stuck his tongue out this time, and Mikleo quickly snatched a handful of leaflitter and shoved it in his face. “Agh! Mikreoo.” Sorey grumbled through his mouthful of vegetation and dirt, turning his face to the side and spitting to get it and the taste out.

seriously!! look at these babies!!! they're so silly <3

can't wait to write more shenanigans with them,, and many feelings

WIP Folder Game

[riddletheraccoon]

Met a little cutiepie! (he was in a dangerous area, we got him outside in some heavy leaflitter where he'd be much happier and much much safer)

[camashred]

Leaflitter here may already be green, but she likes having that extra little bit of camouflage. Also you can never be too green really.

OSRS chathead for Ranky Danky. <3